Withered Rose
by KawaiiNekoNyaa
Summary: An inability to see eyetoeye causes many an arguement between Sonic and Amy. When he goes one step too far, Amy turns to the least expected Mobian for support.


Yoroshiku onegaishimasu. This is my first fanfiction, so please go easy on me.

Disclaimer: Amy Rose, Sonic the Hedgehog and Knuckles the Echidna all belong to SEGA and Sonic Team.

Please enjoy this fanfiction.

**Withered Rose  
Chapter 1: Bottled Up**

Amy Rose, Sonic's self-proclaimed girlfriend, walked across Green Hill. The gentle breeze and beautiful scenery were always calming to her, even during bad times. Despite this, Green Hill had always carried a mysterious air, which made it only more appealing. The 'zone', as it was called, wasn't actually as green as its name implied. The grass seemed to be in a chequered pattern; emerald green and a dull almost-grey shade. It matched the chestnut brown and dark brown soil underneath it. Amy lifted a flower and brought it to her face. Smiling, she inhaled its sweet scent, and then let it fly into the wind.

Usually Green Hill would be crowded with Mobians, due to it being somewhat of a tourist attraction. However, it was almost completely deserted, save the odd Flicky. Though Amy was very much a social butterfly, constantly gossiping with other Mobians, she didn't particularly mind peace and quiet sometimes. Besides, if she happened to run into one of Sonic's many fangirls, she'd have to show them who was his real lover. She didn't see her infatuation as a fangirl crush; she saw it as true love. This, however, did not stop her from collecting any Sonic merchandise that she could get her hands on.

Amy sighed; she didn't understand why Sonic always ran away, in spite of her greatest efforts at showing him how much she cared. The closer she got to him, the more he backed away, which meant she never got closer at all. Of course, Amy was not one to give up on what her heart was set on, no matter how rough things got. She wanted to become Sonic's significant other, and it was set in the Chaos Emeralds.

But when she thought about it, what did she do to get close to Sonic? She had never actually told him how she felt. She had clung to him, tried to prove herself to him, even threatened him, but perhaps it wasn't clear to Sonic. That must have been it, Sonic was always on the go, exploring new places and meeting new people, so perhaps he had a mixed culture, and didn't see Amy's acts as love, but as aggressiveness. Not malicious, of course. Perhaps like a rough way of handling friendship, much like his rival, Knuckles.

Amy mentally nodded; the next time she saw him, she'd tell him how she felt outright. She couldn't avoid it forever, as shy about it as she was. She had to be as honest to Sonic as she was to herself if she was ever going to be with him. Excitement bubbled at the pit of her stomach. When she told him, he would smile and embrace her, and then… then they would be together, more than just friends.

She didn't have to go far before she found the cobalt hedgehog, sitting under the shade of a palm tree. This surprised Amy; it wasn't often she found Sonic staying in one place and relaxing. Well, after all of the times he had had to protect the planet from Eggman, perhaps he was tired. No, Sonic never tired… Amy rephrased her last train of thought in her head: Well, after all of the times he had had to protect the planet from Eggman, perhaps he needed time to think about his own life.

She approached him quietly, the pent-up anticipation rising to her chest. She knew she'd have to try and be calm, if he thought her ways were out of playfulness and not love. She opened her mouth to tell him the truth, but all that came out was a squeal of "Sonikku!"

His head turned, ever so slowly. When Amy saw his expression, she wished she hadn't spoken. He was angry. Very angry. Whether it was because of Amy calling him or some other cause, she didn't know. Whatever it was, Sonic's temper seemed to have flared. He stood up, his movements rather mechanical, and turned the rest of his body to face her. "Why do you always do this!" he snapped, his emerald green eyes baring a hole through her soul. "You act as if though I were your toy! Not a fellow hedgehog! A plaything!"

"B… But… S… Sonikku…" Amy's voice cracked slightly. She had never seen him to be so cross. She had always seen him to be laid-back and somewhat smug. He always had an air of coolness about him, an infinite calmness that could not be tampered with. However, infinite had been too strong a term, since his composed nature had seemingly died.

"Don't 'but' me, Amy!" he roared. His chest rose and fell quickly, matching his somewhat over-exaggerated breathing. The rage left his tone of voice, leaving him speaking eerily quietly. "Tell me, Amy, other that what you see on the media… what do you actually know about me?"

Amy stared at her idol, startled and confused. When she thought about it, everything she knew about him was from the media. She had never managed to get to know him personally due to him moving around so much. She knew he was a relaxed thrill-seeker who felt the urge to protect those around him, and didn't like too much affection thrown at him. That was understandable, given how many girls did this. But that was _fangirl _affection, not _real _affection. Amy knew the difference, because her feelings were true. It wasn't just because he was a hero, not just because he had saved her four years ago. It was… it was… she didn't know what it was, but it was different.

"That's right."

Amy snapped out of her reverie and looked back at Sonic, who had decided that her lack of response was in fact her answer.

"You don't know anything about me." He tore his glare away from her, staring at the grass instead. "Do you know how much I get this? 'Oh, Sonic, you're so great!' 'Oh, Sonic, I love you!' They say that because of what they see on television. Everyone thinks I'm so proud of that. You know what? I'm not!"

Amy was too scared to speak as tears streamed down her face. She really wanted to tell him that she loved him for who he was, not because of the things he did. But since she didn't actually know him, she had no evidence to prove herself; if she said that she'd seem like just another fangirl. She wasn't, and she knew it… but the centre of her affection didn't seem to know it.

"When you do that, do you even consider my feelings? Oh wait, of course not, you don't _know_ them! You don't know how I feel, do you! Oh, you know that I save the world! Isn't that great!" Sonic looked back at Amy, making her cower at his glare. "This… This is why you're alone! You're always going to be alone!"

He had gone too far. As frightened and upset Amy had been through his rant, she had understood him. He had mistaken her for another fangirl, because he didn't know her, either. But saying that she would always be alone… that was crossing the thin line in Amy's emotions that separated misery from fury. Before she realised what she was doing, she had punched her arm out to the side as her mallet, which she called the 'Piko-Piko Hammer, materialized into her hand. "SONIC YOU MOOOOOOROOOOOOON!" with a mighty swing, the hammer collided with the hedgehog's head, knocking him out cold. She stared at the blue bundle of spikes, before she burst into sobs, burying her face in her hands.

-----

Angel Island, one of Mobius' most spectacular zones, and keeper of many mysteries. It had been named after its strange ability to hover thousands of feet above the sea. It was common theory that the Master Emerald was what gave it the unique floating ability, since it fell into the sea if it was removed from its place in Hidden Palace. To prevent this from happening, Knuckles, the sole inhabitant of the island, took it upon himself to protect the gem.

He stood in the Emerald Chamber in the Hidden Palace, attacking opponents that only existed in his eyes. Punch, kick, punch, duck, kick, dodge, jump, punch. He stopped suddenly, distracted by the shimmering sound emitting from the powerful gem. He walked over to it, examining it silently. It couldn't be a reaction to a Chaos Emerald, since Sonic was taking care of them, and as far as Knuckles knew he wouldn't randomly visit him.

He peered into the bright green jewel, squinting to protect his eyes from the brilliant light. What he saw inside of the emerald startled him; Amy sobbing over a fallen Sonic. Knuckles admitted that he wasn't particularly familiar with either of the hedgehogs, sharing only a few of their adventures, but he realised that Amy felt some sort of attraction towards Sonic. If he was fallen, and she was crying… his eyes widened. Eggman's work?

If Eggman had succeeded in harming Sonic to the point of unconsciousness, or worse, he must have retrieved the Chaos Emeralds. If he had all of them in his possession, he had most of Mobius' power. Of course, the Master Emerald controlled the Chaos Emeralds, so Knuckles could stop him. But equally, if the doctor got a hold of the great gem, the world would be in grave danger. He decided it would be best if he stopped Eggman before he had the chance to even think about stealing the Master Emerald.

Knuckles clenched his fist determinedly; it was up to him to investigate. He left the Hidden palace, and walked onto the grassy plains of Angel Island. He ran towards the edge of the island and jumped off, letting the wind catch under his dreadlocks and glided towards the mainland.

He finally reached his destination, allowing himself to drop. From there he ran through the zone until he saw Amy, still weeping into her gloved hands. He scanned the ground for his rival, but his eyes were only met with chequered grass. His eyebrows furrowed, and then rose in shock as he felt a body press against his.

It had been Amy, latching onto him. She clung to his arms tightly, her face buried in his chest. Knuckles, not being used to that sort of attention, felt blood flowing to his cheeks, making them glow with heat. Not knowing what to do or say, he just let her cry into his fur.

**A/N: **I hoped you liked it. I'm open to suggestions and I apologise if it's bad.


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